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Students against discrimination wave flags while standing on top of a sculpture during a rally marking one month since the end of the Awami League regime in Dhaka, September 5, 2024. Reuters. Top left: Hindu man Utsav Mandal.
Hindu groups in Bangladesh threaten massive protests after Hindu youth Utsav Mandal was beaten in custody. The Bangladesh National Hindu Mahazot demands justice and strict action
Hindu groups in Bangladesh have threatened to launch massive protests across the country following reports that a Bengali Hindu boy was brutally beaten while in the custody of the army and police over claims that he “insulted” Islam.
An agitated mob stormed the office of the deputy police commissioner in Khulna city on Wednesday and assaulted Utsav Mandal, who is accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post. The Bangladesh National Hindu Mahazot has called for a demonstration in the capital Dhaka, demanding action against those responsible for the assault on the eleventh-grade student, who is a student at a local college.
Status of Hindu Boy
Mandal was reportedly taken to a police station where a mob surrounded the facility, demanding his release. The situation escalated when the mob allegedly seized Mandal as he was being removed from the station. The current status of Mandal remains unclear, with concerns about his condition growing amid conflicting reports. Bangladesh Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) wing has stated that Mandal is alive but in critical condition.
The army has confirmed that efforts were made to rescue him, and he will be handed over to law enforcement authorities once his health stabilizes. Hindu groups and their supporters are calling for a thorough probe into the incident and justice for Mandal. The situation has heightened tensions, with widespread calls for accountability and reform in response to the alleged abuses.
What Muhammad Yunus said
The minority Hindu population faced vandalism of their businesses and properties, as well as the destruction of Hindu temples, during the student-led violence that erupted following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India.
On Thursday, Chief Adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, said the issue of attacks on minority Hindus in his country is “exaggerated”. In an interview with PTI at his official residence, Yunus suggested that the attacks on Hindus were not communal, but a fallout of a political upheaval as there is a perception that most Hindus supported the now-deposed Awami League regime.
Hindus, who made up 22 percent of Bangladesh’s population at the time of the 1971 Liberation War, now constitute about 8 percent of 170 million and have predominantly supported the Awami League, known for its secular stance. Describing the attacks as more political than communal, Yunus questioned the manner in which India is “propagating” them.
Earlier in August, the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance said that the minority Hindu community faced attacks and threats in 278 locations across 48 districts since the fall of the Hasina-led government and termed it as an “assault on the Hindu religion.”
